A Courtyard Garden

 So today I have a little different take on Art Journal Journey's theme of "In My Garden". I created a night time garden view, which in its own way is as interesting as the day. I decided to add fairies, and make it a bit more magical.  It would be fun if there really were some magic beings in my garden. Thanks Yvonne for the great theme this month.

And since it is Friday, I am also linking up to Paint Party Friday. Big thanks to Kristen and Eva for hosting. Stop by both link ups for some great art.

So for those of you stopped by yesterday, I want to say we had good news at the doctors- as long as my husband's blood levels come back OK, the kidney specialist thinks he'll be good to go for a September transplant.  We should know in a week or two, but the doctor did contact the transplant department which we have also been dealing with for the last year and told them he is signing off on my husband. He is ready.

And my hope after the doctors was a visit to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and since it wasn't even 11 AM, we hopped on the subway and headed across Boston to the Fens. This is a part of Boston that was build in the later 1800's. 

This is the home Isabella Stewart Gardner built in the Fens. She called it the Palace.  It is an interesting building outside, but nothing like inside.

Gardner and her husband traveled extensively and collected all kinds of art and artifacts on these journeys.  They are housed in her home, which she stated in her will  (she died in 1924) would become a museum, that should be left in the same condition as she kept it during her life time.

I last visited the museum back in the 1980s, but have wanted to go back in the last few years. When I visited then, this gorgeous modern addition didn't exist. I think it works really well with the rest of the museum.

The Palace is 4 stories tall. The top floor was Gardner's private living space, but the first 3 stories were her public home where she kept her art. Unfortunately yesterday the second floor was closed for some work, but at least they moved the treasures into some of the new building's space. 

In 1990, 13 priceless works of art were stolen from the museum and still have  not been recovered. They were taken from a room on the second floor, and since the thieves tried to remove the pieces in their frames, but could not, they cut the pieces out of their frames. Since then the frames have hung empty on the wall, but since the second floor was closed, I didn't get to see the empty frames. 

Oh well, next time.

So I took a ton of photos, but thought today I would focus in on the first floor, which has a gorgeous courtyard garden. More photos another day.  :) 

Even her garden was filled with art. This is an ancient Roman mosaic.

I wonder if this garden changes during the year and if any of these plants get "brought in" for a season and then changed out for the next? Obviously there must be professional gardeners who care for this. 

I think back in the 1980's we might have been able to walk through this courtyard. It was so long ago I don't actually remember though. But I have this vague memory of walking through it. 

Maybe it was all a magic dream of night in a garden.

Thanks for visiting today. I wish you all a wonderful weekend.